Playing U20 game showed contempt for troubled grade

IT WAS a difficult weekend for sport. For Wexford it was a mixed bag, returning to winning ways in the Allianz Hurling League with victory over Kilkenny, but for the Under-20 footballers it was the end to a journey as defeat to Meath out paid to their provincial title dreams.

There are no easy decisions when contemplating whether a game should take place or not. There is much more to a decision than whether the surface is playable, despite being sticky and testing, but the elements also come into that decision-making.

And that’s why it’s difficult to explain the decision to proceed with the Wexford versus Meath Leinster Under-20 football championship quarter-final at St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, on Saturday afternoon.

As I made my way to the ground, driving from Wexford town, the weather alert was for orange for both Wexford and Waterford, with 125 kmph wind accompanied by driving rain. Obviously, the G.A.A. don’t rate these competitions as a worthwhile route to the future for young players.

The decision of Kildare referee Brendan Cawley to decide on proceeding with the game was bizarre, as it was impossible to play football given the driving wind directly down the pitch, accompanied by heavy rain.

The ball, as a result, could travel no more than 20 metres into the elements, leading to the team having to play a ball-carrying game with short inter-passing.

But, as Wexford found out to their cost, they lacked the ability to utilise the elements when playing to their favour in the first-half, as they could only manage a miserly 1-2, the goal arriving in the opening 80 seconds, while one of their two points came from a free.

Without doubt this was a game that should never have taken place. Being a championship game, with no back door, it was asking a lot of the young players to bridge the gap between what one terms Gaelic football, and a handpassing game decided by the elements.

There is no one who can dispute this, because on this occasion only the elements were the winner. Despite the commitment of the players, it was sending out the wrong message to proceed.

Yes, as one can see over recent weeks with the season still in its infancy, it’s the time factor that is leading to these decisions, from National League right through to the Under-20 championship.

One could hear as the minutes moved on that the game ‘has to be played as the semi-final is schedule for the following weekend’. So much for player welfare and health.

There is nothing more appealing than a good under-age game, whether it be hurling or football. There is still a massive appetite among the players for this grade, similar to when played as an Under-21 championship, as it always helped produce some of the best quality games of any season. But right now one fears for the future of the championship.

Even on a domestic footing it is given no prominence when it comes to fixtures. Last year we witnessed Under-20 football championships being decided right up to the weeks preceding Christmas.

I suppose at the same time this Under-20 grade is no longer elite level. This could even be seen by the lack of Wexford G.A.A. officialdom present for this quarter-final game, compared to Chadwicks Wexford Park 24 hours later, where one witnessed a rush for the centre seats. But then again, that’s the pulling power of Davy.

In order to be viewed as part of the top level of the G.A.A., then this competition will have to be given a proper schedule at a time of year when one is in a position to play championship football in proper conditions.

But given the status of this championship, or rather the lack of it, one can see an exodus of players from the inter-county set-up.

When it comes to Under-20, the G.A.A. has taken the handy option, playing it off on successive weekends irrespective of the conditions or time of year, just get it completed.

This is compounded by the decision to lower the age base to Under-20 from Under-21. What one witnessed in St. Patrick’s Park last Saturday afternoon was a number of players who will have worn the purple and gold for the very last time.

Maybe they should have been given that jersey as a reminder of the last time they played for Wexford – yes, at just 20 years of age.

Saturday gave an insight into how the G.A.A. views the Under-20 grade.